The myths behind All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day
All Saints’ Eve (Halloween), All Saints’ Day, and All Souls’ Day all come back to back this time of year. These three days are called “Allhallowtide.” While people dress in costumes and ask for trick-or-treat to celebrate Halloween, do you know the ritual customs off All Saints Day and All Souls Day? Why and how do people celebrate these two holidays?
All Saints’ Day vs. All Souls’ Day
All Saints’ Day is also called All Hallows’ Day or Hallowmas. Some Christians celebrate this annual holiday right after Halloween, on Nov.1. In Old English, “All Hallows” means “the feast of the saints.” As the name implies, All Saints’ Day is the day to honor people who are believed to have gone to heaven because of God’s grace and good works. The following day is All Souls’ Day. Different from All Saints’ Day; All Souls’ Day is to commemorate martyrs who died but didn’t go to heaven. They may have not confessed their sins or free from publishments, but prayers could help them cleanse their venial souls.
History
The exact origins of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day is unknown, but the tradition of remembering saints and martyrs started around the 4th century A.D. In 609 A.D., Pope Boniface IV decided to observe May 13 as the day to remember martyrs. Around 120 years later, when Pope Gregory III was reigning, he officially changed the name and date from May 13 to Nov. 1 to acknowledge all saints.
The celebration of All Soul’s Day arose overtime. In Germany, St. Odilo, Abbot of Cluny declared Nov. 2 as the day to pray for all of the souls in Purgatory. Gradually, this date became universal before the end of the 13th century.
Celebrations
Halloween parties take a lot to prepare, but celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day can also have a lot of fun. Having All Saints’ decorations in your home is a great way to kick off. You can hang saint medals and colorful branches. For other holiday ideas, you can read a “Once Upon a Time Saints” story, learn the hymn “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God,” or make some “Saintly” crafts with families. Besides, making simple Saint-themed snacks or meals and delivering them as gifts is also a wonderful way to celebrate All Saints’ Day. For example, you can pair mini chocolate donuts with a food label “Tonsure Treats.” The idea behind it being the shape of mini chocolate donuts resembles the popular haircut of the Franciscans. What’s more, pairing pretzel sticks or pretzel rods with “St. Bernadette’s Firewood” or tagging Funyuns with “Sainty Halos” are also good starts to make meals or snacks more special.
All Souls’ Day is celebrated differently worldwide. In Mexico, El Dia de los Muertos is the Day of Dead. People will celebrate this holiday from All Saints’ Day to All Souls’ Day. They view these two days as the time when the dead family members visit them in the world of the living. So there will be splendid parties everywhere, and you can see parades and people wearing lavish customs on streets. Different from Mexico, Poland’s All Souls’ Day is very quiet. Polish people observe this day by lighting thousands of colorful candles across cities, which creates a holy atmosphere.
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